Earlier posts in this series encouraged emerging biopharmas (EBPs) to sculpt seamless patient experiences and identify and track metrics that matter for a patient support program (PSP). This blog will focus on a foundation that makes all that possible: advanced technology.

For EBPs, the phrase “advanced technology” often conjures an elaborate and expensive system that feels out of reach. Among the most common reactions:

• We’re still mastering basic processes. We need to crawl before we walk.
• We can’t handle the complexity of managing disparate tech systems.
• That sounds costly — we probably can’t afford it.

The reality is, most EBPs can’t afford NOT to take the leap and make the upfront investment in an all-in-one patient support technology solution. What follows are four reasons why.

Leverage tech as a great equalizer

EBPs may have smaller pockets than larger, more established biopharma and MedTech companies, however, by investing in the right advanced technology, EBPs can level the playing field — unlocking more sophisticated capabilities for supporting patients and caregivers and the providers and staff who serve them.

Historically, it might have been impossible for an up-and-coming organization to design, develop, and deploy patient support systems or applications, but today, there are ready-made, fit-for-purpose solutions that an EBP can implement much more quickly.

Early investment in an integrated technology solution positions an EBP to address key goals around operational efficiency, patient/user experience, and patient outcomes. In the long run, it may even position an EBP to outperform larger, more sophisticated organizations.

A single technology solution enables essential patient support capabilities

By investing in a single solution, an EBP can bring together everyone involved in delivering what’s best for patients. It makes it possible to create a 360-degree view of each patient — helping an EBP avoid the pitfalls of multivendor, multisystem programs that can impede visibility and slow care delivery.

When evaluating solutions, look for a platform that provides fully integrated support for these core capabilities:

• A seamless patient journey. The solution should provide a unified experience for patients no matter how they communicate: voice, chat, email, or SMS.
• Data and analytics. A solution should support performance analytics to help improve operational efficiency, identify and pursue process improvements, and gauge patient-reported satisfaction. It should provide these insights in near-real-time — so challenges with prior authorizations, step edits, or other barriers can be addressed quickly.
• Personalization. Imagine a patient who’s still struggling with payer issues and receives an email from patient support. Subject line: instructions for injection. Talk about frustrating! The right technology helps avoid such misfires. It also enables use Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to unlock new opportunities for highly personalized content delivered at an optimal cadence.

An integrated tech solution simplifies compliance

In delivering patient support, EBPs must address a host of data privacy and governance requirements. Advanced technology helps simplify those requirements — offering automated guardrails that support compliance without compromising visibility, speed, or patient experience.

Look for a platform that embeds compliance with the multiple privacy regulations and guidelines. As such, it should address these critical capabilities:

• Data loss prevention. A platform should prevent the intentional or accidental exposure of sensitive information, helping ensure that an EBP addresses regulatory requirements.
• Sensitivity labels and policies. A tech solution makes it possible to control access to patient support teams. It also supports establishment of policies for blocking and preventing sensitive information from being exchanged through private channels.
• Encryption. Look for a solution that supports encryption for data in transit and data at rest using the Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP). This protocol should be applied across video and audio files, chat, and desktop sharing.
• Audit logging. An integrated tech solution should empower an EBP to respond efficiently to regulatory, litigation, and investigation discovery requests. Here is another opportunity to deploy AI to surface the most relevant data more quickly and accurately.

It puts the potential of AI in reach

Generating highly personalized content for patient engagement and finding relevant data as part of an audit response are just two examples of how an EBP can leverage AI within a patient support solution. Another exciting use case: deploying artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) to generate “Next Best Action” (NBA) insights.

Advanced technology can generate NBA nudges for patients and for other users in an EBP’s patient services ecosystem. A solution can be configured so that alerts are proactively sent to a field reimbursement manager when that function is best-suited to overcoming an obstacle — or updates are pushed to patients showing exactly where they stand in their treatment journey. (The latter is what most consumers have come to expect through our experiences as ecommerce shoppers!)

Other potential innovations include gamification (tapping into AI/ML and GenAI to make a treatment journey “stickier”), real-time sentiment analysis, and AI virtual assistants. All are potentially powerful ways to strengthen patient engagement, experience, and outcomes.

When it comes to advanced technology, think big.

Many larger, more established patient support programs are working through challenges stemming from multivendor complexity, expensive and fragile system integrations, inconsistent service across channels, and an overemphasis on service level agreements at the expense of metrics that matter.

By investing in advanced technology, EBPs can leapfrog these larger organizations — starting from a strong, agile foundation that’s better for patients and the people who support them.